Poppy
by AudioSafari
Summary: An opium den was the last place Russia expected to find him.


He stood at the entrance, his lips pressed into a disapproving frown. A sheet of smoke billowed from inside, and he tried to avoid inhaling. For a moment he doubted that Yao could be here. But thinking back, it didn't seem so plausible. It was all to picturesque.

Adjusting his scarf around his nose, Russia pulled back the tarp that served as the door, stepping inside. A few stopped what they were doing to stare at the towering stranger, but not for long. No one seemed to have the attention span to care. The floors were lined with thick carpet, while pillows were stacked again the walls for the patrons. There were men from all runs of life here- boys who had barely become legal, to old men with missing teeth and gnarled hands. The haze was making him dizzy and he had to lean against the wall for support multiple times.

He found Yao after a few minutes of searching. He was propped up in a corner, his limbs akimbo and eyes a bloodshot red. Ivan noted that his shoes were missing, and he kept digging his feet into the carpet in an almost paranoid way. Silently he got down on his knees and gently cupped the side of his fellow nations face. "Yao." And the mention of his name, China's eyes flickered slightly, and a huge relaxed grin split across his face. "...Ah, it's Braginsky! Braginsky!" Yao giggled and threw his arms around Russia's neck. The other nation let him keep them there.

"Yao," he repeated. "Let's go. What did you do with your shoes?" The older nations grin disappeared and he began to tug on the others shoulders, easing him down on top of him. "I dunno. Don't wanna go anywhere ...Gonna stay here with Ivan." He cooed a few more lines of nonsense before pressing his face into Russia's shoulder and inhaling sharply, the way a dog would when meeting someone new. "Yao, what happened? This isn't like you all." There was a momentary pause before China looked up, his face confused. Then his eyes watered, his mouth split, and he was bawling into Ivan's chest.

_"I didn't... didn't want this to happen... I don't know, I don't know anymore..." _"Shhh," Russia murmured, patting China's back. "It's alright, _lyuba. _I'm taking you home now, don't cry. We'll get you some new shoes tomorrow." With surprising gentleness Ivan lifted the smaller nation into his arms. China curled up instinctively, like a kitten, and Russia smiled. He managed to get to the front without too much difficulty, but was stopped on his way out by three rough looking young men.

"_Hey_," one snuffled in Cantonese. "_The hell're you doin'?" "Taking him home. What does it look like?" _Russia's reply was quick, and he was proud that his Cantonese had come out so well. _" He don' look like he wans'ta leave." _Another hiccuped, taking a swig from a bottle in his hand. "_Why don'cha leave'm here. We'll make sure t' take good care of 'm." _From the corner of his eye Ivan saw the first man lean in and pinch Yao's bare foot, hooting with laughter as he stepped back. Instantly he felt his affection for Yao kick into overdrive, and with a kind of unmatched speed he had seized the man's face and forced it into the wall behind him, all while keeping China balanced in his other arm.

The room became momentarily silent, and some paranoid few looked up in panic. But they realized that there were no police here, and they went back to their smoking. This went unnoticed by Russia. He gazed at his captive as he weakly struggled, speaking loud enough for the other two to hear. _"I'll have you know, gentlemen, that I never forget a face. I also have very good ties to the police; I could come back and have every one of you arrested." "A-awright, y' got us. Don' turn us in," _the man beneath him whined. Ivan felt like he had scared him enough, so he let him drop to floor and scramble back to his friends. He heard someone mutter "_Fag..." _on his way out, but it bounced off him like most things did.

Once outside he readjusted his hold around China, then headed towards his home on the other side of the city. The smaller nation twisted sleepily in his arms, and Russia leaned down to kiss his forehead as he walked. _"Russia..." _Said nations heart twisted, and he had to stop walking momentarily- he could smell it on the others' breath.

He knew this wasn't the last time he would have to come here.

**Opium dens were popular both in China and the UK during the Opium Wars (1839–1842) (1856–1860). It's an extremely addictive drug, and people used to smoke themselves into comas, or worse kill themselves. It's a scary topic to think about. Nevertheless, I hope everyone enjoys this.  
For those who don't know, opium is made from the poppy flower of the same name.**


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